Madonna Pisses Off Russian Orthodox Church By Expressing Support For Jailed Feminist Punk Band Pussy Riot

Madonna is no stranger to pissing off church people, but I think all but the most evil of fascists (a.k.a. the Russian government) can agree that she actually has a point this time. During her tour stop in Moscow yesterday, the queen of pop expressed support for the members of feminist punk band Pussy Riot, who could face up to seven years in prison for performing an anti-Putin protest song in a church.

“I am against censorship and my whole career I always promoted freedom of expression, freedom of speech,” she told reporters, ”so obviously I think what’s happening to them is unfair and I hope that they do not… I hope they do not have to serve seven years in jail. That would be a tragedy.”

“It is not in our power to ban her, but we call on the authorities — who position themselves as Orthodox believers — to do so… This little singer is openly mocking our laws, our traditions and our culture.”

I’m more worried, of course, about the members of Pussy Riot, who are being charged with hooliganism and “inciting religious hatred” for performing a 40-second-long “punk prayer” in a church begging the Virgin Mary to “deliver us from Putin.” Prosecutors have recently reduced their endgame to a “lenient” three-year sentence, in light of of the fact that two of the defendants are young mothers with “good references.” Because sending someone to jail for three years for playing a protest song is so lenient.

As worried as I am about these brave ladies, I find it darkly funny to read quotes from witnesses in the trail, which thus far has centered around how intensely traumatized the churchgoers and church employees were by the 40-second-long protest. Buzzfeed has seven of them.